Canopy construction and the like



April 30, 1957 c. DUsEK cANoPY CONSTRUCTION AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. a, 1955 United rates Patent i Vlrllhisinvention relates to Lthe-:tent art. 'Particularlylit Arelates f-to Vacanopy construction-or lthe llilreiadaptedfor' useswth picnic benchesror tables. v n

To preclude disappointment on out1ngs1-result1ng from `rain or iinsects, -a lsuitable covering fsuch 4as :a tent or 1 canopy adapted I to afford `shelter v during meals l is la frelquent requirement.

*Conventional picnic benches, in--wideuse,comprisea '.wooden :tablefon opposite sides -of -which. a* pair Aof-.elon- -gated Lseats, for :multiple lseating, are rigidly f secured.

Such conventional picnic benches customarily .are off luniformdengthand width, thestandard lengthbeingsix :'(6)V feet. e'icient protective cover shoul'dlbeasily yportable :andeshould .also "be characterized Yby the 'ifa'ct .thatfit is'. easily. mountable about a picnic bench yiniaf-rigid fconstruction. n v L lt iscansobjectpf the tinstant .invention totprovrdeta lcanopy or `:tent-like construction adapted vfor .use with picnic benches.

lt is another object of this invention to lprovide a portable canopy or Atentlikeconstructionadapted to be,

secured to thefoppositefends Vof alpicnic ,table and pro- .vi,ding astable shelter about the table to {protect tthe table, itsucontents an'd those within 'the shelter.

Itis a'n additional object of this'invention toprovide a canopy or tent-likecconstructionorza picnic bench and-,` the like having a gluralityof panels forming .fa-r shelter and extending from above the picnic bench and securable to the ground with tent stakes, and having a pair of hollow bracing members supporting the uppermost of the panels at opposite ends of the picnic bench and being secured at their lower ends to the table top, anda pair of oppositely extending cords extending through the bracing members, the opposite end portions of each chord supporting the opposite ends of the side panels, respectively.

Cther and further objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and numerals `of reference thereon.

n the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View or" one embodiment of the invention shown disposed about a picnic bench, kparts of the 'tent or canopy being broken away for the purpose of illustration. Y

Fig. 2 is a view taken on section line 2-2 Vof Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows'.

Fig. 3 is a View taken on section line 3-3 of Fig. 2

and looking in the direction of the' arrows.

Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. l and illustrating the relative vrelationship of the cords.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, a conventional picnic bench or table 10 is shown in Fig. 1. The picnic bench or table 10 is provided with two pair of crossed legs 11, each pair of which is rigidly connected to the top of table 10 in any suitable fashion. A pair of .2,790,452 N'Pttteinted Apr. 3l), A1957 ICC `2 parallel-transversely extending V-seat supports 12, reach of rwhich -is-r'igidly connecteddto an oppositepair of legs'll, as-'illustrateddn Fig. 1, provide 'two :pair vof shoulders on which .a pair oflongitudinally extending seats 13 are 5 rig-idly securedon opposite sides -otvtable v10. n

' Aportable 'collapsible -tentI or canopy, generally deslg- -nated l`as 14, is shown in mountedvposition in Fig. 1 to providera-shelterffortable =10. The :canopy or-tent 14 comprises L-a -top panel -15 of any Vsuitable fabric construction tsuch, as transparent, non-rigid, plastic or 'mosquitonetting `OrJthe-like. Toppanel 15 is secured along its opposite side edges to apair -of side panels 36 bymeanssuch as stitching or the llike. Ateach opposite endlofsthetop panel Y-i t,isvsecure'd -to theitop'of one 15 :of afpa'inofend panels 146. Theside-panels 136 andthe v:endfpanels *J6-are preferably yof non-rigid' fabrication and may be of transparent plastic material or mosquito netting ..o`rethet`lilce. iA preferred Yconstructionofv the -canopy or tent 14sembo'dies1a plastictop-panel 15 andtheremainder n .of thefpa-nelsA of mosquito netting.

v '-Thefendpanels 16 are: each openable to provide access :into `the `shelter whenin lmounted position. *One means sforrpermitting access -is illustrated on the illustrated l end .panel tla6xiniFig. f1. -f Such means form panel -16in'two sections 16a and-1617. Section lbhas-.secu'redi to along i the inner margin thereof a plurality of connectors such pas; buttons T17, gor. the like disposedl -in-i vertical alignment lTo closerfpanel116,;-asfillustrated in Fig. vilfbu'ttons 17 :tareaextednded through alignedapertures inthe reinforced,

y 30,?.inargin 5:18 oftpanel 16a.

afllgbracket Acomprising Aa lwell 119v and -havingwa-pair of Fintegral jaa/$12.0; and a clamp screw 21' threaded through glower 'of 'thenjaws 20` islreleasably securable 'on each endclange22fofitheitopvof table110. l:Anenlarged view Lof. one ofsadbrackets illustrated in 'Fig. `2. Each of t 'twellsrtis 'adapted' toereleasabfly :seat vrthe lowenend .r2.3 @fr aventicalstandard'tl. L'In. the preferredconstruction a TeQOnneCtorrZS risfthreadedfon -the upper-end of each a .ildtlrsi- :Thetinner,endsofapainoflhollow tubes 26 `t Ihreadingly,inttotmted .in .theoppositesides of `each -sQDtIzlQtQrgZSe to; provide apair. oft transversely extending shipain ahorizontahplane when @mounted :asy illustrated in Fig. 1, for example.

Fabric loops or a conduit 2S is formed in each of the opposite ends of top panel 15 by turning each end edge back and securing same by lines of stitching 29 which extend through a .double thicknessof the top panel 15 and the upper end of a respective panel 16, as illustrated f Y in Fig. 2. To accommodate the connectors 25. an intermediate portion of each conduit 28 is cut away, the

. respective pairs of tubes 26 each being carried in said conduits' 28.

A cord 30 extends through each of the hollowbraces 27,` asillustrated in Fig. 4. Intermediate portion 31 of cord 30 underlies and supports side 32 of top panel 15.

The opposite end portions 33 of cord 30 emerge from the braces 27 on a side opposite the cord portion 31. yA

cord 34 extends through each of the braces 27, as illustrated in Fig. 4. An intermediate portion 35 of cord 34 underlies and supports side 37 of top panel 15.Y The `opposite end portions 38 of cord 34 emerge from braces 27 on aside opposite the cord portion 35. Upon pulling the opposite end portions 33 and 38 of respective cords 30 and 34 taut, rigid support is given the sides of top panel 15. To align the intermediate portions 31 and 35 properly each may be extended through a corresponding i loop 39 .formed in the upper end ,of each of the sidesV 36. The formation of one such loop or conduit 39 is shown in Fig. 3, illustrating that lines of stitching 40 are g used to make the Vconduit and secure thev upper end of the respective side panel 36.

The end portions 33 of cord 30 underlie and support the corners of the canopy 14 on one side and the end portions 38 of cord 34 underlie and support the opposite corners of canopy 14. To additionally support each side of the canopy 14 a plurality of cords 4 1 are provided for one side 36 and a plurality ofr cords 42 are provided for the other side 36. The upper end of keach of the cords 41 and 42 has an eyelet 43. Said eyelets 43 are arranged in opposed aligned pairs and cord portions 31 and 35 extend through said eyelets 43, `as illustrated' in Fig. 4. Ot course appropriate portions of the loops 39 should be cut away to accommodate the connection between the eyelets 43-and the cord portions 31 and 35.

There is provided an eye 44 at4 the4 outer end of each A' cord to4 permit securance to thenground by meanssuch as tent stakes, or the like.

The instant disclosure provides an inexpensive construction for rapidly erecting an enclosure about a picnic bench. Such construction yis easily disassembled and readily portable and supplies a long standing need inthe aft And inasmuch as many changes could bemade in the above described construction, and inasmuch as many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention Within the scope of the claims could be constructed with-Y out departing from the scope and spirit thereof, it is intended thatrall matter contained in the Vaccompanying speciiication shall be interpreted as being illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

l. A canopy construction t adaptedY to .cover picnic benches, comprising a top panel; a pair of end panels,

cachend panel, at the upperrend thereof, being secured to an opposite end of said top panel; a pair of side panels, x, f each side panel, at the upper end thereof, being secured to an opposite side of said top panel; a plurality of loops,

I said loops being formed at opposite ends of said top panel the ends of said rst cord extending freely -from a second end of each of said tubes; a second flexible cord disposed in both of said tubes and extending in a direction opposite to said first cord, said second cord having an intermediate portion thereof between thc second end of each of said tubes disposed in engagement with and supporting the other side of said top panel, the ends of said second cord extending freely from the first end of each of said tubes, the opposite free ends of said iirst and second cords being adapted to be pulled to provide a taut frame for said top panel.l

2. A canopy construction comprising a top panel, a plurality of side panels `secured at their upper end portions to said top panel, said side panels being adapted to be secured to the ground; a plurality of opposed loops formed at the opposite end portions of said top panel; a

pair of opposed braces mounted in said loops, said braces having therein a pair of bores; a pair of opposed flexible cords extending through said bores and between said braces, each of said cords forming an opposed side sup- Y cord, an intermediate portion of said first cord engaging and supporting one side of said top panel; a second cord,

an intermediate portion of said second cord engaging and supporting the other side of said top panel; a pair of opposed standards, each thereof including a hollow transversely extending brace supporting an opposite end of between a first end of each of said tubes disposed in'en- 45 gagement with and supporting one side of said top panel,

. said. top panel, the non-supportingportions of each of said cords extending through and freely out of said braces in opposite directions, whereby a rigid frame is formed for said canopy construction when said non-supporting ends are drawn taut.

References Cited in the tile of this patent Y UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,341,672 'renin s Feb. 15, 1944 2,362,561 La Rue Nov. 14, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,036 Great Britain sept. 1o, 188s 

